The Mix of Six
by SE46 Mantis
Summary: That's the worst thing about your rivals; you spend too much time with them, they start becoming your friends. One-shot drabbles of the times when Darling wasn't the only one they grew to adore.
1. Warmth

It's cold that night, just like it was last night, and the night before. Painfully cold, damningly cold. The winter is upon Japan, with its crisp cool air, the reports of snowfall and the local lakes and fountains being overcome by ice. And above all else, the temperature plummets to levels far below any kind of reasonable weather. Any water left exposed is doomed to freeze, windows are icy to the touch and even the most insulated of houses feels a chill wandering its halls.

Oh yes, winter is here, and it has brought a cold with it that would have even the warmest of mammals trembling, a cold that breaches into home and makes it quite uncomfortable. As such, Miia is not very happy about it. Not very happy at all. She is displeased, discontent, dissatisfied and above all… very cold.

She's curled up on the couch in the living room tonight, the entire length of her tail coiled around her as she cowers beneath the thickest blanket she can find, supported by three pillows and with just the faintest gap in the cocoon for her head to peek out. It's a veritable bunker of warmth, but alas, even this grand defense is not entirely efficient; the cold finds its way in through even the tiniest gaps, and her heated bastion is not enough to keep it from mocking her, even if it may not entirely torment her.

She shivers, and the entire couch shivers with her, and laments her situation. She hates cold, and she hates that she just can't seem to be warm anymore. It was as if warmth was some distant memory, some forgotten ideal, and how she wished it would return to her. She has had to pull out a heater and sit it next to her by this point, the device glowing softly as it emits its loving rays of warmth over her bunker. It's useful support, and it keeps things from becoming intolerable, but even it cannot completely demolish the whispers of the perpetual chill. Miia whimpers softly as she retracts her head into the blanket cocoon; would she ever be free of this damnable chilliness?

The TV drones on, with its own glow and a current focus on the opening of a new clothing store, designed to accommodate a wide variety of non-humans, ranging from harpies to kobolds, and she makes a mental note to check it out at some point. Her Darling ought to be more willing to take her a store devoid of lingerie; the memories of their trip to that place have her giggling, only to immediately regret it when the shuddering of her body winds up making gaps in her duvet fortress for more chills to sneak in.

Urgh. She hates winter. Lamias were cold-blooded, unsuited for the onslaught of chilling winds and snow and all that, hence their preference for hotter climates. Why couldn't her Darling have had a house in Africa or Australia or, or anywhere else but this chilly place?! Ooh, she'd be in hibernation at this rate, and then how could she possibly compete with the others in earning her Darling's heart? Ooh, what a nightmare-

"Miia, can I talk to you?"

The low and dignified voice of the house's third exchange Liminal attracts her attention, and she bravely pokes her head out slightly to see Centorea slowly walking from the door, the faint clopping of her hooves on the floor audible even with the TV on. She has that sort of stern expression on her face, a lecturing kind of expression, and Miia groans slightly as she presses the volume button on the remote to turn the TV down. First the cold, and now whatever Cerea wanted to talk about in that obnoxious pseudo-parental tone of hers. Why did she have to suffer so?

She sighs softly, resigns herself to her misfortunes and mumbles: "Sure, sure. What is it, Cerea?"

The centaur, clad in her night-time top and looking mockingly unaffected by the cold, saunters over to stand just to the side of her, not blocking her view of the television but close enough to demand her attention. She folds her arms over her chest, a feat that always earns Miia's grudging respect for how she can get them over that kind of bosom, and clears her throat like a proper lady. Urgh, it's lecture time alright…

"Lady Meroune wants to watch television, as does Suu, but your heater makes things somewhat uncomfortable for them, given that their water-dependant physiologies do not appreciate a persistence in high temperatures. Surely you would be courteous enough to turn it off now? You know how the Master will complain about the additions to the electricity bill."

How could she even talk about high temperatures?! She was shivering even with the heater on, even under this blanket and the pillows! Miia trembles with the indignity of it all, rather childish in how she pouted at the centaur from her cocoon, begrudging her silly knightly courtesy for the mermaid. But childish as it is, she really does not appreciate the idea of having to sacrifice her precious heater, not when this cold lurks around her.

Once again, it seems that she will be forced to alter her habits and her comforts just to cope with others; first the continued encroachment of rivals upon her territory and her chances at marrying her Darling, and now even trying to keep warm. Would there be no end to her previously idyllic life being brought down piece by piece by the others?! Urgh…

Despite the further thoughts, she keeps the conversation related to heat to avoid unnecessary arguing and grumbles: "It's not a high temperature at all in here. It's cold. It's always cold. They should be more worried about freezing than getting hot. Why can't I just be warm?"

Cerea's expression softens ever so slightly, and she asks: "Are you really cold, Miia? Under all that?"

"Lamias are cold-blooded." She muttered, shuddering under her blankets as if to prove her point. "We're sensitive to the cold, you know. It just, it just gets to us. Even under this, even with the heater. It taunts me…"

Rather pitifully, she shudders again and withdraws her head into the shell, attempting to return to whatever warmth she could get inside her little bunker.

The centaur considers this, adopting a more thoughtful and sympathetic expression now as she examines the sullen lamia. True, she did know that her housemate was cold-blooded, and true, she did know she was very sensitive to low temperatures. But at the same time, she couldn't just abandon Mero and Suu's wishes to watch TV in here; the mermaid's favourite programs would be on soon, but neither she nor the slime would be comfortable with that heater running.

So how could she solve this problem? To keep Miia warm was to make Mero and Suu dry, and to remove the heater and make them happy was to make Miia colder. To please one would be to condemn the other. This is the choice of a noble warrior then, one who must learn to preserve the health of her people just as well as she may defend them from villains. How might she appease both parties?...

A moment's contemplation, before the solution strikes her with a rush of understanding, and thus she declares: "Very well then, Miia. I know how I might compensate for the heater whilst still removing it to allow our housemates comfort."

The lamia looks up at her in surprise and asks: "How?"

Centorea trotted over to the heater, put a finger over the off switch and, her other hand bumping against her plump chest right over the heart in her usual dramatic gesture of nobility and determination, decreed: "Whilst I will remove the heater to accommodate Lady Meroune and Suu, I will serve as your heat in its place via sharing my body warmth with you."

Now this declaration stunned Miia, almost as much as the finger clicking the off switch and denying her the flow of heat stunned her, leaving her wide-eyed and gaping at the other girl in her shock. Was the centaur even serious? Did she honestly expect that she'd go through with that? To snuggle with her for body warmth?! Replace her heater with herself, just like that?!

It was a legitimate strategy, granted, and one she'd employed many times with her Darling. But Cerea wasn't her Darling, wasn't the soft and caring man she'd come to love. She was a rival for her Darling, even if a restrained and courteous one, and the notion of having her be her new source of warmth seemed outlandish at best and traitorous to her Darling at worst. Should she really snuggle with a marriage competitor?!

But then, the cold takes its chance to attempt encroachment into her cocoon. It slinks over her, mocking and cruel, and she shivers, uncomfortably so without the heater to help fight it off. The chill is utterly unwelcome, utterly damning even, and she realizes that she doesn't have much room to be picky about her next source of heat.

So, despite it all, she decides she'd better roll with it. Anything, even curling up with the centaur, is better than the cold.

Cerea calls for the others to come in now as she moves the heater aside, before she canters back to the shivering lamia. The loss of her heater was already affecting the cold-blooded girl, Miia shivering heavily under her blanket, and the centaur takes action to ensure that it will not affect her for long. She's too large and heavy to go onto the couch, but she can lean against it fairly well, and she reaches out with her arms to grip the body of the other girl through her blankets and draw her to herself.

The blankets and pillows briefly fall back, and Miia wails in discomfort as her heat abandons her, the cold moving in to claim its prey. Instinctively, she reaches out for the nearest source of warmth, and it so happens to be the centaur herself. Miia's arms secure themselves around her shoulders and she immediately pulls into the other Liminal's welcoming embrace. Her torso crashes against Cerea's as she gets her arms as tight around her as she could, head nestling down just above her bosom whilst her tail whips around and attempts to coil itself around the centaur. Somewhat tricky, giving the discrepancy between the horse and human apart, but she eventually managed it.

Centorea is briefly shaken by the sudden assault of the cold-fearing lamia, the thick tail curling around her like a constrictor around its prey, but manages to maintain her composure and reassuringly hold her with one arm whilst the other grabs her blanket and brings it around to drape over the two of them. With Miia completely wrapped around her and the blanket slung over them, she deems her replacement of the heater complete, if somewhat uncomfortable with how tightly she was clinging to her. Good things centaurs are highly durable, more so than humans.

For a moment, Miia has no words to say or further motions to take, or even thoughts to think. She is stock still, cuddled up with Cerea under the blanket, arms around her, tail around her and her head nestled in her cleavage, and she is utterly spellbound. Because Cerea is _warm._ Unbelievably so. Her body radiates heat just as the heater did, and yet it is so much more potent. Every bit of the centaur seems to be infused with a loving and soft heat, from the muscled length of her horse body to her strong arms embracing the lamia to even the swishing hair of her tail. She is even warmer than her Darling, hot like a stove or a fireplace or, or any hot thing really, and, and…

Cerea is _warm._ It's like old memories are rushing back to Miia, memories of sunlight and heat and contentment, free from the cruel grips of chills and ice, and all she need do to indulge in them was cuddle the centaur tighter. She whimpers in relief as she snuggles her head into the great tracts of land, feeling the warmth just burrow into her, driving out all fears of the cold. Ooh, she is _warm! Warm!_

It is like Cerea really is a knight, some armour-clad champion of justice who stands between her and the demons of the cold, who guards her from evil just like heroes did in her old fairy tales! It seems scandalous to her to think that, what with how she had always seen her Darling as her warm and loving knight, yet she cannot deny that her rival-turned-heater conveys a similar ideal. Her cheeks flush and she opts to put the thought aside for now. All that matters is that she is _warm_ at last…

Nothing but _warmth_ , beautiful pure soothing _warmth_ …

Mero and Suu make their entrance at this point, the mermaid dressed in her usual fancy swimsuit and looking fairly relaxed whilst the cheerfully humming and raincoat-clad slime pushes her wheelchair through the doorway and past the couch. Their expressions, previously casual and content, shift into surprise when they see that Miia is wrapped tightly around Centorea, the two of them draped under a blanket and looking quite bound up together, prominently with the lamia's massive tail coiled around the centaur.

There was always something strange going on in this house, no denying, but neither of them had ever seen the centaur and the lamia cuddled up together before. Normally Miia only ever cuddled with Darling, or maybe Papi if she was feeling domineering, but with Centorea? That was unexpected.

"Lady Centorea?" Mero asks, a webbed hand placed over her heart in surprise as she examines them, before seeing the redness on Miia's cheeks as Suu wheels her over. "Oh, is Miia okay? She's ever so flushed!"

"She was just cold." Cerea sighs, gently rubbing the shuddering lamia's back as she glances up at the mermaid, offering a small smile to her. "I have taken it upon myself to warm her, given that my kind have higher body temperatures than most, thus allowing her to be comfortable whilst also ensuring the heater may be removed for you and Suu's own comfort."

Mero blinks at that as Suu coos fondly, before she smiles widely, claps her hands together and giggles: "Oh, Lady Centorea. You truly are virtuous to ensure that all of us are happy, and so selfless to keep Miia warm with your own heat! We truly are blessed to have such a considerate and noble personality amongst us!"

Suu echoes the sentiment, and Cerea blushes slightly at the compliment, sheepishly murmuring that she was just doing what was right. Suu wheels Mero over to sit next to the couch, before grabbing the remote with a tendril, assuming her blob-like form and plopping down onto the smaller sofa, bobbing to and fro as green eyes locked onto the TV.

As Mero recommends some programs for the slime to switch to, Centorea returns her attention to the lamia cuddled up to her. Miia is breathing softly and wistfully as she snuggles into the centaur, her eyes shut and her expression pleased, her contented happiness a far-cry from the previously sullen and chilled girl hiding in a cocoon. The image is rather endearing, actually, what with the normally hot-headed and driven lamia so still and relaxed, and Cerea smiles.

"I trust, Miia, that you are feeling warm?" She asks gently, stroking the lamia's hair affectionately. She purrs gently at the touch, confirming her happiness, and thus the centaur adds: "Good. As a member of the dignified centaur race, I promise that the cold shall not touch you from henceforth tonight."

Miia just coos softly, too _warm_ to busy herself with talk, snuggles her further into her, and the centaur chuckles slightly as she holds her close. She is not quite as gentle as her Master, but she is certainly enthusiastic, and certainly soft in her arms. Deciding that her plan wasn't so bad at all, she turns her attention to the TV. Mero is watching a documentary on spiders, funnily enough, and on being questioned about it she admits that she felt silly over confusing Rachnera with crabs, so she has decided to educate herself a bit on the land-bound arthropods so she may be become aware of their fellow Liminal's aspects.

Cerea just laughs, Suu giggling herself, and the trio settle in for a comfortable night before the TV, learning all there might be to know about spiders. All while Miia cuddles Cerea tightly, basking in the warmth that has finally come back to drive away the cold and the sadness and make her happy again.

Beautiful, eternally comfortable _warmth_. For all the problems that came with having tolerating a rival for her Darling, she could not deny that Centorea was a good friend indeed…

After an hour, the documentary ends, and Mero decides that it is bed-time, nattering cheerfully about all the amazing things she has learned tonight and how impressed Rachnera will be when she tells her all the fact about spiders she has heard as Suu wheels her to her room. The two spare the other girls a goodnight, which Cerea returns before she focuses her attention to the lamia in her arms. Comforting as she been to snuggle with for the past hour, bedtime did call.

"Miia." She murmurs. "Are you awake? It's time to retire to our rooms."

Miia does not respond, and Cerea tentatively speaks her name again, before the gentle rhythm of slow breathing tips her off to the fact that the lamia has fallen asleep. She must have been so content, cuddled with the warm centaur, that she had forgotten herself and opted to sleep in her arms.

Centorea is slightly touched by this. That Miia would feel safe and secure enough with her to fall asleep here, by the couch and wrapped around her, is quite flattering, quite endearing. Granted, it is not entirely proper for a lady to sleep against another lady in such an impromptu fashion, but then again, quite a lot of her life had proven to be impromptu lately. As her Master had said before, surely she could afford to, ah, let her hair down slightly?

She breathes out softly and strokes the lamia's hair as she shifts slightly against the couch, her other hand piling up some pillows for her to lie against. Well then, it seems she had the night to spend here, curled up with a heat-craving lamia. But she had promised to not let the cold touch her, and as a dignified representative of the noble centaurs, she would keep that promise. Plus, you know, she was quite comfy.

For all the spats they may have had, whatever rivalries for the Master they share between them and the others, Miia is her housemate and her friend, and she will ensure her happiness.

Thusly, as she herself prepares to settle down for the night, she murmurs: "Sleep well, Miia. Sleep well…"

* * *

"Oh, this is perfect."

Rachnerea is grinning from ear to ear as she holds up her Honey's cellphone and snaps a few pictures of the adorably amusing scene before her. Centorea is lying by the couch, leaning against some pillows, and Miia is clinging tightly to her, snake tail wrapped around the centaur and human torso hugging her close, using Cerea's enviable bust as pillows. Both of them are asleep, both are them are cuddling each other oh so closely and both of them are wearing the most lovely expressions of contentment, as if only their being together could bring about such peace.

"It's so sweet how she stayed with her in here." Mero coos, hands over her heart as she oohs and aahs over the snoozing duo. "Keeping her warm and safe all night, like the knights of old going out of their way to assist any who need it. Positively adorable!"

"Adorable indeed. And positively damning." The Arachne snickers, examining the photos of the two sleeping together with a delighted triumph. "For all the fuss she makes about Honey, Miia sure has no objections to snuggling with another girl. Do you think her snake slithers for both teams?"

"Oh Lady Rachnera, must you be so mocking?" Mero sighs, her adoring expression shifting into admonishment as she raises an eyebrow at the other Liminal. "She simply sought warmth and comfort, and Lady Centorea generously obliged her."

"Of course she did. But there's nothing like some gossip in the web to keeps things entertaining." Rachnera replied cheerfully, smirking as she put the photos onto a file and accessed the online functions of the phone.

Before her fellow Liminal can reply, a voice calls out: "Has anyone seen my cellphone?"

"No, Honey." Rachnera calls back cheerfully, ignoring Mero's distasteful glare as she promptly uploads the pictures to Twitter, grinning widely as she imagines the embarrassed expressions these two will be sure to wear soon enough. "Haven't seen it at all."


	2. Affection

_Author's Notes: In response to a question, yuri could well appear in these drabbles. It really just depends on what you the audience would care to see. Granted, it probably wouldn't be explicit yuri, what with the premise still depending on their affections for Darling, but it can pop up on the sidelines._

 _We'll see what you lot want to see, I suppose._

 _Regardless, here's Chapter 2. Enjoy._

* * *

To be honest, Rachnera had never really considered babysitting as part of the lifestyle within the household. She'd come here to see exactly what her Honey was made of, to see if she'd be the one to win the oh-so fabled position of putting forward an official interspecies marriage contact and perhaps to find a life beyond suffering rejection and revulsion. And yet despite that, she'd found herself laden with the task of babysitting.

Granted, it's not really babysitting per se, because Papi is not actually a baby or a child. But it is babysitting in the sense that leaving Papi by herself is fundamentally stupid, because her outrageous energy levels, ditzy attitude and eternal enthusiasm meant she was a recipe for disaster if left unchecked. She could break something, sneak into rooms or outright fly away, and thus it was up to Rachnera to keep her checked and out of trouble.

Honey has taken the other girls out to the park to do whatever they do at the park, and she'd decided to stay at home. She hadn't really felt up to it, and whilst she'd put it off as simply wanting to keep an eye on the house, part of her considers if it's because she's nervous about what kind of reception she'd receive from bystanders; compared to the other girls, she is certainly more intimidating, more... monstrous. And surprisingly enough, Papi decided to stay at home too; it's odd of her to do so, giving her vast preference for the wide outdoors, but apparently she just wanted some time to relax or whatever.

At least, that's what she told Honey. When he and the other four have gone, the harpy's immediate action is not to relax and instead dance over to the Arachne and beg her to play video games with her. Oh goodness gracious; it's barely been a minute and Rachnera has already realized she is not well-accustomed to being alone with an extremely enthusiastic individual, feeling a kind of dawning horror start to twitch within her. Papi grabs her by the hand and attempts to drag her to the living room, at least until Rachnera protests that she's kind of feeling tired and not up to games much.

The harpy is not so easily dissuaded, though. She suggests- or rather, demands- that they play boards games, and Rachnera has to refuse that too, claiming that she couldn't sit still long enough for them. The harpy suggests the pool, she points out that they'd need Mero's permission (plus, well, she can't really swim). The harpy suggests hide-and-seek, she points out that she's too big to hide. The harpy is persistent though, determined to find an activity that both of them can indulge in, and Rachnera is hard-pressed to try and get her off her case about it.

It seems to her like Papi had been aiming to have some alone time with her, to play whatever games she'd usually play with the others, and whilst the thought is nice, she's not at all accustomed to not having the others to dilute the harpy's attention. She knows that Papi is fairly childish in her eternal desire to have fun, and whilst she can admire the zeal, she can't hope to match it. She's more a solitary and relaxed type, not really the playful gal her fellow Liminal was, and thus she can't quite feel compelled to go along with whatever games she's suggesting, repeatedly suggesting that she just wants to rest on her own for a bit.

Eventually, Papi is forced to admit defeat; even she can eventually take a hint, and thus she opts to grab one of her favourite toys and play outside in the garden to leave Rachnera in peace for a while. Still, her eyes gleam determinedly and she declares that when the Arachne has had her alone time, she'll have her playing games yet. So now she's in the garden, tossing around a stuffed chicken under the security of a makeshift roof of webbing designed to keep her from flying out.

Rachnera, in the meantime, is currently lounging in front of the couch, her legs curled under her and a pack of crisps in her hands, a second pack clasped in her pedipalps, as she idly watches a program about the implications of oil spills for oceanic Liminal species. She snorts a bit; obviously oil spills were every bit as bad for mermaids and Scylla and such as they were for animals, and she figured it wouldn't be long before oil companies faced massive critiques about essentially poisoning sapient species.

Alas, such was humanity's short-sightedness that they often did not see the harm they could cause, not until it had already done its damages. She sighs and shakes her head; humans could really stand to be more honest and responsible and to try and fix their problems instead of debating or ignoring them.

She glances at the window, and sees Papi dancing around with her toy clutched in her hands- or claws, really, she didn't have hands- and looking as happy as could be. For all her obnoxious aspects and being another pest that impeded her from capturing Honey's heart, Rachnera allowed a small smile at just how innocently joyful the harpy was. Papi cared not for false pretences or prettified words; all that mattered to her was the happiness of everyone around her and the fun they could have. Such a kind and open heart was rare, and even if it was a bit airy, it was still nice to see.

Perhaps it had been harsh of her to brush off the smaller Liminal's desires to play; they were housemates, after all, and Honey would certainly encourage friendliness amongst them. But she just, well, she just wasn't really accustomed to a more open and excitable personality. She didn't have Suu's playfulness or Miia's enthusiasm, she didn't have Honey's immense patience nor Centorea and Mero's motherly demeanours. She was more about bluntness and webbing and teasing her Honey, and less about playtime and children's games.

A soft sigh she gives as she considers this. She ought to make an effort at some point, really; it wasn't fair on Papi to just try and ignore her all because they had different notions of fun and such, especially when the harpy stayed behind purely to spend time with her. Even spiders had to leave their webs eventually, and she'd have to make their time together count at some point. But Papi's content to play in the garden for now, to entertain herself, and Rachnera supposes that she can act on it later. Right now, the harpy was safe and happy and out of trouble, and that's what matters.

And just as soon as she thinks that, she hears a horrifyingly high-pitched scream of horror sound out right from the garden.

Spiders are notorious for being incredibly fast when they need to be, capable of going from stillness to breakneck speed within seconds, and the Arachne shared this trait with them. The scream hasn't even ended before Rachnera has made it to the door and she nearly tears it down in her rush to open it. She scuttles outside, claws bared and spinnerets ready for whatever threat could possibly have frightened the harpy. She scans the environment swiftly and intensely, crimson eyes gleaming, but there is no threat to be found. What then has caused Papi to scream like that?

She turns her intense gaze to the harpy, who is standing stock still, her arms outstretched and shaking before her, her expression the picture of utter horror with her eyes wide and terrified. It's like she's seen a ghost, a corpse even, and Rachnera is briefly unnerved at such joyful eyes so full of fear, before she sees what has caused the harpy's distress.

Evidently, whilst throwing her toy around, the claw on her wing had caught the stuffed chicken's own wing and wound up tearing it off when she'd thrown it up. The result was the poor toy lying on the grass with its side split open, stuffing spilled out over the grass, and the detached wing lying limply by Papi's feet, one last tuft of its innards stuck on the harpy's claw. So then, she must have screamed about breaking it. A sad thing, but not life-threatening.

Rachnera exhales in relief, a hand over her heart in some attempt to calm the beating organ. It's just a broken toy. It's nothing dangerous, nothing terrible, just a simple accident. It's all okay, thank goodness. But she barely has time to consider the end of her troubles, to say something or whatever, when Papi falls to her knees, clutches her wings to her chest and bursts into tears.

Oh lord. She's crying. She's legitimately crying over her broken toy as if she had broken her own leg, knelt on the grass and wailing with all the raw unhappiness of a toddler. Rachnera feels the horror grip at her again as she stares blankly at the harpy sobbing wildly before her poor toy. She is not used to crying, not used to it at all, especially not with anyone else around to help her with it.

But crying Papi is, and intensely at that. She's wailing and wailing, crying out her own little heart, tears running down her cheeks like miniature rivers. Rachnera is unsure of how to react to all this; surely she must help her, do something to comfort her, right? But she doesn't really know how to; comfort is not her strong suit. Sure, she can dispense some advice or clever statements or whatever, but legitimate comfort for a heartbroken individual? That was a whole other web entirely.

But she has to try, right? Yes, yes she does; Papi needed someone right now, and she was the only someone to help her. So she'll try.

Working up her nerve, she tentatively walks over to the wailing harpy and tries to comfort her: "Um, hey, Papi, don't cry. It's, um, it's okay, Papi, it's-"

"It's not okay! It's not okay!" Papi wails, sobbing heavily as she puts her wings to her eyes, tears staining her bright blue feathers. "I broke him! I broke Mr Chicken! He, he was one of my best friends! The Boss won him for me! And I broke him! Mr Chicken is broken!"

Oh gosh, she really is attached to this thing to get so worked up over it, especially if it was indeed a gift from Honey, and her tears only intensify as she cries anew. Rachnera is so far out of her comfort zone by this point that she may as well as be treading on thin ice; she feels like any move she makes might only makes things worse. She really is not used to this, not used to this at all, and all of it born out of a mere broken toy.

But she can't just leave the poor harpy to cry over it. She has to do something to calm Papi down, make this whole thing seem better for her, especially before the neighbours start wondering what that wild sobbing was about. But what could she do? What would the others do? They'd know what to do; Miia or Suu would coil around her comfortingly, Mero would hold her close like a mother would, Centorea would be at her side like a noble knight. Any of them could handle this, but Rachnera is not any of them.

But oh gosh, she has to think quickly, before the harpy is swept up in her sadness and cries the whole street into a panic. She seeks out some kind of alleviation from the distressed harpy's crying with an intense desperation, before she locks onto the torn toy and uncovers a solution.

Scuttling forward, she leans down and gently picks it up, careful to hold it so no more stuffing would fall out, and declares, having to speak quite loudly over the tearful sobs: "Hey, hey Papi, don't cry. I can fix him for you, okay? So, um, try and calm down a bit and we'll make him all better, okay?"

Papi's sobs dwindle somewhat as she looks up in confusion, her eyes puffy and red and cheeks streaked with tears, before she wipes at them with her wings and sniffles: "You, you can?"

Sensing progress, or at least a lack of outright screaming, Rachnera gives her as reassuring a smile as she can and replies: "Of course I can. Arachne are pretty good at thread-work. Just don't cry anymore, okay, and we can fix him up as good as new."

This revelation seems to utterly stun the harpy, enough that the tears stop flowing and the sobs dwindle to nothing. She watches in dazed wonder as the Arachne bends down again and picks up the severed wing and whatever stuffing litters the grass, before ambling back to the door, and then it finally hits her. Leaping to her feet, the harpy gives a squeal of hope and cries: "Oh Rachnee! You can fix him?! Oh please, please fix him! Please, please, please-"

She leaps onto the larger Limina's curved abdomen and wraps her wings around her waist, the Arachne jolting in surprise at feathered appendages squeezing her tummy as she continues to plead: "Please fix him! Please fix Mr Chicken! Please, please, please-"

"Okay, okay!" Rachnera squeaks, trying not to gasp at the surprisingly strong harpy clutching her as if she were doing her best Miia impression. "I'll going to fix him! Just don't choke me or anything!"

Papi relents and loosens her hold, albeit still settled atop the Arachne's abdomen and whimpering softly for her precious toy to be fixed. Mr Chicken looks so limp and sad in Rachnera's hands, his stuffing compromised and his frame torn, and his beady black eyes seem to shimmer with pain at her betrayal. That she herself had done this to him burns within her, and she buries her head between the muscles of the Arachne's back in some meagre attempt to block the sight from her eyes. Oh her poor Mr Chicken; the Boss had won him just for her at some gaming place, this lovely cute toy, and she treasured him dearly. He was as much a symbol as the Boss' love as he was a cuddly companion, and she broken him...

Rachnera scuttles back to the living room and settles herself before the couch as Papi flutters off of her to sit down next to her, biting her lip slightly as she curls up to watch her. She resembles an anxious patient in an infirmary, awaiting from kind of grim notification, and Rachnera is a touch unnerved by it, far more used to the harpy being a happy-go-lucky playful gal.

But no matter; the way to solve this was to save Mr Chicken, and save him she would.

First and foremost, she stuffs all the stuffing back into him, gets him nice and plump. She's seen Honey do to actual chickens before cooking them at dinner-time, and while a toy is not edible, the concept of filling it up remains the same. Once the stuffing is restored, she can get to work fixing the rip; her spinnerets produce their trademark webbing and her legs working in unison to bring it to her hands. Twisting it amongst her claws, she proceeds to gently apply it across the damaged edges of the toy's tears, pulling it back together bit by bit.

For an Arachne, weaving is but second nature, as simple as breathing. Mr Chicken would be restored in no time, and thus so would Papi's happiness. Perhaps she is relieved that she won't have to deal with the crying, but part of her considers that she's more relieved on simply making Papi happy again.

The harpy herself watches with awe as Rachnera returns life to her most precious plaything; her silken threads, expertly weaved in-between her claws and gaps in the plush toy's fur, are pulling Mr Chicken's sides back together, holding the stuffing secure with him as his frame returns to security. The master of precision as ever, Rachnera halts the repairs in time to fix the torn wing onto the toy and renews her sewing, attaching it back to the body. She works so finely and smoothly, Papi feels like she's staring at Mero's tail, admiring how each scale slickly transitions into another.

It's a thing of beauty, really, and it fills her with a sense of exhilaration, a sense of hope. Mr Chicken would live again! Rachnee is restoring him to life, and she is blessed to see this miracle come together before her!

The final silk thread is added, and Rachnera smoothly cuts it with a claw before sticking it in place, and she sighs in relief at accomplishing her task; the stuffed chicken is fully repaired, webbed back together and refilled, and she gently moves him about a bit and flicks the wing to test the webbing. Satisfied with its security, she turns to the amazed harpy and holds up her beloved toy, declaring: "And there we go, as good as new. Told you I knew an itsy-bitsy thing or two about thread-work."

"Oh Mr Chicken!" Papi cries delightedly when Rachnera hands him back to her, grabbing him in her claws carefully and desperately and cuddling him tightly to her chest, curling up in a ball around him in complete protectiveness as she goes on: "You're fixed! Rachnee fixed you! You're okay!"

The happiness in her voice radiates like sunlight, warming and bright, and she's just so utterly overjoyed that she can think of nothing else but to cuddle her toy tightly and stammer about how pleased she was to have him fixed. Throughout this, the Arachne simply watching their happy reunion with a bemused small smile; a sensation of satisfaction beyond a job well done tickles through her nerves, a sensation of simple contentment that her housemate was happy once more, that she was alright and no longer sad. It was… nice. Very nice.

Soon enough, Papi's reunion with the toy is complete and she looks up at her and grants her such a wide and bright smile that Rachnera feels as though she is staring into the sun, before the harpy joyfully squeals: "Oh, Rachnee, thank you so much! You saved Mr Chicken! You saved him! Ooh, Rachnee's a hero! Papi loves Rachnee!"

"S-sure, sure." Rachnera replies, a little bit stammering and a tad flustered by such dramatic praise, and thus attempting to hide behind her usual dryness to cover it up. "Nothing to worry about. Only have to fix a toy, no worries."

Papi's happiness pauses suddenly, and then she seems utterly appalled at the insinuation she has just heard, adopting a perturbed look as she squeals: "Wha-a-a?! What do you mean? Rachnee, you think Papi only loves you because you fixed Mr Chicken?!"

Before the Arachne can consider a reply, she sets down her toy and leaps forward, her talons gripping the foremost of the spider legs as she nestles herself into the surprised Liminal's front, wings wrapped around her and head settling just at her chest. Securing this intense embrace, she cries: "Rachnee is Papi's friend! Papi loves her because Papi loves her! I love all of my friends, Mr Chicken, Boss, Suu, everyone! Please don't think that we only love you for fixing Mr Chicken!"

"P-Papi…" Rachnera squeaks, a bit wheezy from the tight hand as her own arms lean down to return the embrace, surprised at the intensity of the harpy, surprised at her declarations of utmost affection. "I, I didn't mean it like that, I just…"

"Well, we love you." Papi declares determinedly, looking up at gaze at the Arachne with an impressive dedication to her affection. "All of us do. You're our friend and we love you. Papi loves Rachnee, and Papi won't stop loving her, and neither will anyone else ever!"

And with that, she returns to just snuggling against her. Harpy's are quite quick to get to the point, and her point is made; Rachnee is someone she loves, and someone she loves deserves all the love she can give.

Rachnera just stares bewilderedly at the harpy cuddling her, all six eyes wide and jaw slack, before she fully absorbs the loving sentiment of the smaller Liminal and winds up giving a soft giggle. How utterly kind of her, how utterly sweet! It's a kind of admirable sentiment, a kind of adorable friendliness that reminds her of being with Honey in that warehouse, seeing his own kindness for herself. It permeates through her, this sense of sweetness, and it makes her warm and tingly. Oh, she can't help but giggle some more as she cuddles the harpy tightly in return for her affection.

It's nice to know she's loved. It's so nice to know.

For a moment, they're simply content to embrace, before Rachnera pulls back slightly, allowing the harpy to look her in the eyes, and tentatively offers: "So, um, Papi… what, er, what video games did you like again?"

Papi stares at her in amazement, before her massive sunny smile promptly rises again.

* * *

When the Boss himself and the other girls return, they are greeted by the astonishing sight of Rachnera and Papi sat next to each other before the TV, a stuff chicken sat between them, giggling and joking with each other as they played their go-kart racing game, featuring that red-hatted man with the moustache. It is a perplexing sight indeed, for the idea of Rachnera acting all goofy and such before a video game, with Papi no less, is utterly bewildering to them.

And yet, it's utterly adorable. The two of them were bonding! How sweet!

"Wow." The Boss muttered, bewildered as he releases the handles of Mero's wheelchair and scratches his hair bemusedly. "There's something you don't see any day."

"I know! Rachnera, a video game buff? Who'd have thought it?" Miia laughed, and said laugh earns the attention of the two gamers; Papi waves happily to the others, and Rachnera adopts a faint flush of embarrassment on being caught red-handed. Still, she doesn't pull herself away from the game or anything; she turns back to it, and is soon back to laughing with the harpy about it. Aw, she really must be liking it to not just instantly try and run for it and cover up this lovely display.

The other smile warmly at the sight, Mero and Miia looking particularly endeared; it's a lovely gesture, for Rachnera to put aside her dry wit and webbing and such to play with Papi, and they might even suggest that perhaps the Arachne truly did have her soft spots under the exoskeleton after all-

"Excuse me, mortals."

The voice surprises them, and they all turn to see none other than Lala standing by the doorway, eyes narrowed grimly and her scythe leaning over her shoulder. She points dramatically at the stunned group and declares: "Heed my words, for I, Lala, a knight of Hades and a reaper of souls, have come on hearing the wails of despair, the cries of disbelief, on the witnessing of a most grisly demise. Where is the lost soul that I must transport to the depths of the underworld itself?"

No-one knows how to react, simply staring dumbly at her, before Papi suddenly leaps before them and holds out her cutesy stuffed chicken to the Dullahan, whom blinks in confusion at the toy.

"No souls lost here!" She declares cheerfully. "Mr Chicken was broken for a while, and I thought he was gone forever, but then Rachnee saved him. So now, he's all okay, and everyone is happy!"

Lala stares blankly at the harpy for a moment, before she sags in disappointment and sheepishly mutters: "Oh. Well then, um… it seems my sources were a… a touch misinformed. Ahem, I, um, apologise."

She hesitates, before turning to the door and sweeping her scythe upwards, dramatically adding: "But know this, mortals. The next time this grim reaper walks these halls, a soul may well return to the darkness with me… so, um, what's for dinner tonight?"

As the Boss laughs and chats to the Dullahan about tonight's schedule, Rachnera saunters into the hallway, aiming for the stairs, but not before Miia turns to her and declares: "Aw, Rachnera! You fixed Papi's toy for her? And you played games with her! That's so sweet of you!"

"Well, I only did it to stop her from crying." The Arachne replied swiftly and defensively, huffing ever so slightly as her flush returns. "Don't assume me to be soft or anything, snake."

That's one thing, no matter how close she can get to them, she'd prefer them not to see her as; soft did not suit her, really. She had a reputation to maintain, after all.

With that, she turns to go up, but before she can, Papi suddenly drops down in front of her, quite quick on the wing when she wanted to be. The Arachne pauses in surprise, before the harpy smiles sweetly at her and holds out Mr Chicken to her. Rachnera is stunned; is she honestly being offered one of Papi's most prized possessions, the simple toy she would cry her heart out over and treat as if he were as close to her heat as the Boss was? Before she can ask, the harpy elaborates on this gesture.

"Rachnee, Mr Chicken and I want to thank you for saving him from being reaped." She coos happily, shaking the chicken slightly as if he were nodding in agreement. "Could he please spend the night with you? He's very good at cuddling, and he'll make sure that you're kept warm and safe, like he does for Papi, because he loves Papi, and he loves you!"

Oh gosh, look at that adorable face, that innocent sunny smile. Even the toy seemed to radiate a happy little smile. Rachnera couldn't refuse her even if her life depended on it, even with the others watching her; she felt as though her heart might melt if she looked at this sight any longer. Resigned to her fate, she softly smiles and accepts the cuddly toy, saying: "T-Thanks, Papi. I'm sure we'll have a good night tonight. So, um, see you at dinner."

With that, blushing furiously, she scuttles up the stairs quickly before anyone else can interrogate her, clutching Mr Chicken tightly to her chest as she goes. The other Liminals watch her go, utterly amused by it all, before Miia laughs heartily and declares: "Oh yeah, she's totally a softie."

"Her abdomen attempts to convey itself as merely a cold hard shell, but it is swollen by warm affection and love for us all." Mero giggles.

"Oh yes. She is indeed a loving creature, once you get past the webbing." Cerea chuckles.

They'd be sure to grill her about this at dinner-time, but for now, they are content to leave Rachnera be and let her be content herself with a stuffed chicken and the knowledge of affection and love that came with him.


	3. Generosity

Meroune Lorelei could be seen as something of an oddity amongst the housemates. Primarily, her desire to graciously bow out of the rivalries between the girls and opt to allow one of them to marry the man of the house in her stead. Alternatively, her fantasies regarding all things dramatic and tragic, whether one half of a relationship prematurely dying or losing out on a relationship to begin with. Or perhaps it was her regal and polite demeanour, so much more refined than even the noble Centorea and certainly far more refined than what one might expect from an exchange Liminal.

But perhaps her most prominent dividing factor between her and the others (and a factor that might occasionally embarrass them) was that she was financially independent.

The rest of them, they more or less relied on the Master to keep the fridge stocked, the bills paid and new clothes in their cupboards. Suu and Papi had no money, what with both of them being runaways and such. Centorea and Miia had savings, gifts from their friends and families for the exchange program, but they didn't really need to break it out when they had the Master handling the financial side of life. And Rachnera was actually quite loaded; the money that the shady man had made selling her threads was safe and secure somewhere in her room, and she herself hadn't seen fit to bust it out either.

But Mero? Oh no, she needed no help from the Master to pay for the things she liked. Whether doing her online shopping, paying for a delivery or a takeaway meal, whatever, she had her own credit card, her own accounts, her own little pennies to pay for whatever she'd felt like paying for the day. Sometimes she even paid the bills herself. Certainly, she was more than capable of providing for herself, and for the others if she so chose, but she'd not yet revealed how she was so financially well-off to the others.

Suu and Papi did not question it; they rarely, if ever, questioned any of the 'boring' aspects of life. Centorea supposed that she'd merely been saving up for a long time in preparation for the day when Liminals and humans would live alongside each other. Miia harboured suspicions that perhaps their innocent mermaid friend had shady friends in shady places. Rachnera wondered if she too had been making money off of something her body could produce; her scales maybe, or her slimy coating? Whenever asked, Mero would simply smile and say she had her sources.

Well, what did it matter? She had money, fair enough. Always useful to have another financial supporter in the household.

Today, she's putting that trait to good use. Sat in her room, sat by her pool, tail draped into the cool water, Mero is perusing her tablet on her favourite online clothing store. It was a good place, with good deals, good prices and plenty of outfits that could be used by mermaids. Her anatomy wasn't too restrictive; torso based outfits fit her fine, and anything that could slip over the tail worked well too. So long as they had a good grip to them to keep her slimy layer from slipping them off, most outfits worked pretty well for her.

Granted, things like gloves and rings were out of the question, what with her webbed hands, but she was sure that something would come up to compensate for that at some point. Humanity was an inventive species, to say the least, and they would inevitably has ideas on how to get around webbing.

It was quite interesting, she thought, how human clothing companies would respond to the wide variety of Liminals they'd end up providing for. Whether those with particularly awkward physiques, like Cerea or Rachnera, those who were huge or small, those with wings or tails, it was just so expansive. Ooh, she couldn't wait to see what kinds of fashions would rise up with the union between Liminals and humans. It would certainly be interesting to follow, no doubt-

A knock on her door jolts her out of her thoughts, and she tilts her head to face it whilst calling: "Come in!"

And come in they do, Papi and Suu. The former is wearing her swimsuit, the navy blue one-piece with the kanji at the front, and the latter in her usual yellow raincoat and boots. They've got playtime on the mind, and Papi happily asks if she may swim in the pool. Mero is hospitable to her housemates and cheerfully agrees, directing Suu to turn up the pools temperature whilst it was on the mind. Her housemates preferred warmer waters after all, and she was nothing if not courteous to her housemate's needs.

Never one to wait, Papi hops into the pool as soon as she has permission, giggling as she splashes into the cool water. She floats easily, possibly due to her light weight, maybe hollow bones, maybe the wide surface area of her wings, and she promptly flips onto her back and cheerfully paddles around whilst humming to herself. Suu watches her go, amused, before contenting herself to sit down beside Mero; it was too bad that she could not join her friend, but at least it was nice to watch her. Papi's fun would be fun enough for both of them.

She hums softly as she watches Papi swim around, a gentle little tune that follows no particular rhythm other than whimsy. Her tendrils sway slightly to her tune, and she closes her eyes contentedly from her own music, the harpy's cheerful nattering and the sound of the water rippling. All in all, she'd say Mero's room was the most soothing in the house; it just has a very content air to it, the open space and the water, and she loved to just sometimes sit in here and just do nothing.

And when Mero herself sung, her room became all the more wonderful. The mermaid had a lovely voice and knew many songs, either learned from humans or exotic tunes from her own kind, and her singing had everyone, even the aloof Rachnera, hanging onto her every word and swaying to her lovely tunes. The Master said that it brought to mind the concept of sirens, majestic creatures that could have people risking their own lives just to hear their angelic singing.

She's fairly sure that Mero is not a siren, but she could certainly sing very well.

As Suu continues to hum, she turns her attention to Mero, gently swaying side to side in line with her humming, and takes a closer look at what she is doing on her tablet. Sealed in a plastic bag to keep it safe from both slime and water, the black device's screen currently displays a myriad of interesting swimsuits, ranging from the familiar maid styling the mermaid normally wore, to more colourful and raunchier examples, frilly things coloured bright purple or skimpy straps of glittering gold. All manner of swimsuits, suited for the water, designed to stay attached no matter what, and all of them quite intriguing.

She finds herself quite interested in these clothes, leaning in slightly for a closer look. As a slime, clothing wasn't much use of her, barring the waterproof coats and boots, but she still had a sense of what liked nice and what she saw on the screen looked pretty nice. There were the kind of lovely clothes that girls would wear at the beach or in saunas or something, and Suu entertained the idea of wearing such clothes herself; how might she look in a bikini instead of a raincoat? That was a question she hoped she might answer one day, provided she ever got one.

After all, the other housemates tended to look quite lovely in their swimwear. Miia had a fair few bikinis herself, designed to complement her curvaceous physique and lovely bust, the few that could fit Centorea always looked nice and Papi and Rachnera favoured the smooth and form-fitting. If they could all look so cute, Suu felt she could too. If she just had one, that is.

Mero tilts her head slightly on noting the slime leaning over to peek at the screen, and she chuckles good-naturedly: "See something you like, Suu? This is my favourite website to buy clothes from; it just satisfies all my hopes and wishes so nicely! And it's very open to non-humans too; they have non-stick clothes on here that suit me perfectly, and could well suit you too."

Now that was an interesting suggestion. She knew that the mermaid's deliciously moist skin meant that her clothes had to be tailored well to keep from slipping off, and that was a problem she herself would have to contend with anytime she put on clothes. Raincoats, water-repellent as they were, were no hassle for her to wear, but anything else might slid off or just pass through her.

But clothing for mermaids could work, clothing already designed to prevent slime from washing them away. Maybe she could finally have something else to wear besides a raincoat. But it seemed just a touch awkward for her to just ask Mero to get her things; one could say that she and the others exploited the Master's funds as it was, and targeting Mero as well might just be petty-

"If you'd like, I could buy you something." Mero offers, and Suu looks up at her with a brief surprise that immediately turns into delight. Huh, would she really?! The mermaid smiles at her reaction before continuing: "It wouldn't be a problem at all, Suu. Besides, I think you'd appreciate something else to wear other than the Master's spare raincoats."

The two snicker at that, before Suu offers a nod in acceptance; the idea of having new clothes just for herself is a pleasant one, and if Mero was so kind enough that she'd offer to get them just for her, then she'd just have to accept! For someone so obsessed with inflicting tragedy on herself, she looked out for her housemates well. Suu giggled a little at the thought and fondly tapped her fellow Liminal on the head with a tendril, thankful for her generosity.

Mero grins at her as she promptly takes the tablet's screen through a multitude of slime-resistant outfits, cheerfully showing all manner of lovely swimsuits and bikinis to the gleeful slime, all to the tunes of Papi's playful singing. The harpy had a lovely voice, almost as sweet as Mero's, but she had no sense of rhyme or rhythm beyond her whimsical playfulness; regardless, it was still a nice back-drop to the other two's browsing and both of them swayed in time to the sounds.

Suu enjoyed the swimwear she was seeing, and gleefully pointed out quite a few that caught her eyes, before gently requesting to see some raincoats. More casual clothing options would nice for the day-to-day life, and she'd like to mix things up a bit from plain yellow. Mero is considerate and does just that, and Suu is delighted to see that raincoats are just as diverse and colourful as swimsuits. Ooh, Mero did treat her well, no denying.

Soon enough, Suu decides on what she'd love to wear the most and points them out to the mermaid, who cheerfully plops them into the basket icon to be saved and paid for in due time. Just the very notion of having new clothes all for herself had her trembling in excitement and she affectionately gives her housemate a tight hug in thanks for her kindness.

Mero assures her that it is no problem at all, smiling graciously at the slime, and that she'll have them at the house as soon as she could. Thankful to her, Suu said just as much:

"Thank you, Mero."

"My pleasure, Suu."

The slime's satisfaction is her satisfaction in turn. It always made her feel good to help out her friends, to see the happiness on her faces. For all the talk of her being a so-called 'tragedy freak', she'd never wish sadness on her beloved housemates; their happiness was far more rewarding.

As she goes through the basket of articles she intends to buy for the slime, Mero notices out of the corner of her eye that Suu has turned her view back to the harpy, currently practicing a butterfly motion across the pool, splashing cheerfully with her soggy wings. Her smile widens, endeared by her friend's playfulness, and yet there is a sense of sombreness in her eyes that clearly reflects a longing to join her, to play with her in the water. Such a sombreness is disturbing to the mermaid, so used to the slime's friendly and happy outlook (barring her occasional sexual assaults), and it immediately has her sympathies flaring up.

It was a shame that Suu couldn't join her in the pool, Mero considers, ears drooping slightly at the sad thought. Too much water was dangerous, even fatal, for a slime, and as such she could only sit back and watch when the others enjoyed their swimming sessions. The poor girl; she loved to play with the others, and not being able to join them in this particular activity had to be disheartening to her. Mero felt a pang of sadness for her, and wished that she had some way to help her somehow overcome her physiological limitations…

She pauses, then suddenly flicks a finger across the tablet's screen in a swiftness brought on by an excellent idea, aiming for a different clothing section that she'd never seen fit to visit before. Yes, yes, she had a way to do just that.

Soon, Suu would have all that she wanted and more.

* * *

The next day, Centorea hears the doorbell ring and canters to the door to answer it. The mailman is outside, wearing a friendly smile and bearing a large cubical package that he declares is for a Miss Meroune Lorelei, who ordered a special high-priority next-day delivery. She offers to take it for her, signs the electronic pad he gives her and sends him on his way. Satisfied at her expert handling of receiving the mail, Cerea heads to the living room, where she last saw Mero playing Battleships with Miia.

The two of them are still going at it as the centaur walks in, with the lamia declaring: "Go on, Mero, try and sink my ships! Darling and I grace their bows, and our love will never be taken to the ocean!"

"Ah, Miia, it is not your love I wish to see sunken, but perhaps, my own…" Mero replies dramatically, before she says: "Okay then… I pick G8."

A pause, before Miia sullenly mutters: "You sunk my ship."

As Mero gasps in horror and apologises in a fluster, Centorea rolls her eyes and chips in: "Lady Meroune, I apologise for interrupting, but you have received a package."

The mermaid glances up, looks at the package in the centaur's hands, before her eyes light up in delight and she claps her hands joyfully whilst declaring: "Oh, Lady Centorea, thank you! But that package is not actually for me. Could you please fetch Suu for me?"

Centorea almost drops the box in her haste to put her fist to her heart, a noble knight carrying out the will of her queen: "Of course, Lady Meroune! I will fetch her at once!"

She puts the package down next to the mermaid, turns around swiftly (and managing not to smack anything with her butt for once, Miia notes) and gallops away in pursuit of the slime. Her enthusiasm for following the mermaid's regal aura is always amusing, and she and Miia start giggling about it to themselves as the lamia offers A1 to their game and is irritated to find it's a miss. Maybe challenging a mermaid to a game based on the sea wasn't her best move.

After two misses, a damaged ship and another one sunk, they are again drawn out of their game by the return of Cerea, cantering in with Suu happily prancing after her. The slime looks excited, likely having been told that today's package is meant for her, and upon seeing it next to Mero she promptly darts over with stars in her eyes, a wide smile spreading over her face as her tendrils wave around excitedly.

Mero laughs as Suu jumps onto the couch, as eager to see what has arrived for her as a child at Christmas time. Miia rears up on her tail, just as curious to see what the slime will find within, as Centorea trots over for her own look. As Suu kneels down by the box, the mermaid states: "Well, Suu, would you like to open your package?"

The slime would love to, but alas the top is taped down, unable to be merely pried open, so Mero turns to Miia and asks: "Miia, could you please fetch-"

A swipe of Centorea's sword and the tape is gone, the lid popping open just like that.

"Oh. Never mind. Shall we see what's inside then, Suu?"

The slime shall see what is inside indeed, and she eagerly reaches into the box and finds something rather crinkly, rather resistant to her gooey hands. Perplexed, she pulls it out, and is both surprised and thrilled to see that it is a raincoat. However, it is not a yellow one like she is so used to, but a beautiful ocean blue decorated with white seashells. It's absolutely lovely to look at, and she is briefly mesmerised by it. Miia and Cerea offer similar sentiments to how pretty it is, Mero looks delighted to see that Suu likes it, before the slime peeks into the box again.

Another raincoat awaits her, sat beside boots that match both it and the previous one, and this one is a mottled myriad of pale to dark greens, creating a most lovely pattern around it. Awestruck, Suu pulls it out as well, admiring its lustre and its similar colouring to her hair, only to see more prizes waiting underneath; at least three bikinis, one of them a one-piece and the other two-pieces, ranged from bright green to glimmering gold to deep purple.

"Oh Mero." She murmurs reverently as she grabs and holds the purple bikini upwards, amazed at how it seems to resist her slime, just like the ones the mermaid wears, positively overjoyed by these lovely gifts. "Thank you."

The mermaid simply smiles softly in turn, Cerea and Miia quite endeared by just how sweet the whole gesture is, before she says: "There's still one more present for you, Suu."

And my, she's right. Gently, Suu takes out the bikinis and puts them next to her new raincoats and boots, before she reaches into the very bottom of the box. What she pulls out next looks like a complete outfit; it's black, with two green stripes along the length, and it has fixed-on gloves and shoes. Interesting; it seems the only way into it was the neck hole at the top or unzipping it along the back.

She's never seen an outfit like this before, Miia and Cerea look similarly bewildered (though the latter does seem like she's trying to put a name to it), and she shoots the mermaid a curious glance as to what it was. The mermaid certainly looks highly proud of it, extremely proud of it, and she is more than happy to enlighten them as to the significance of the outfit.

"It's a wet-suit." Mero explains cheerfully, waggling her tail excitedly. "Or rather, a dry-suit. It completely blocks out water via well-insulated layers, so I thought it would be good for you to have since it would let you swim with Papi in the pool. Do you like it?"

A dry-suit? That could block out water? That could let her play with Papi and the others in the pool?

Mero doesn't get a vocal response from the slime; instead, she simply sets the suit down next to her other presents and promptly leaps forward in a mighty embrace that rocks the mermaid back into the couch. Her arms wrap around her, her legs wrap around her, her tendrils wrap around her, Suu just goes all out in coiling around the other girl in the most potent cuddle she could muster. There is no words she can muster right now in her raw happiness for this present, but no matter; her physical affection will speak her affections a thousand times better than mere words.

"Oh, Suu!" The mermaid gasps, surprised at the suddenness of the hug as she returns it, arms curled around the slime's raincoat. Normally the slime was this touchy when she was in the process of indecent activities, but here there is only the joyful sentiment behind her hug, and she manages to laugh: "I take it you're happy then? I was hoping you'd like it, and I'm glad to see that you do."

Miia and Cerea exchange amused glances as Suu nods in confirmation. She does like it. She likes it very much. Such a gift to her is amazing beyond measure; not just the indulgence of nice clothes, but the idea that she could be able to join her friends in the water, to play with them without fear of dilution (within reason of course). She could join Papi, Mero, anyone in the pool, and play to her heart's content, never have to sit out of the fun again.

Such a gift is beyond mere style and looks. It is a gift of inclusion, a gift of friendship, and it's one of the best gifts she could ever ask for.

The slime withdraws slightly, looking simply delighted with the extent of the mermaid's kindness, and she coos: "Thank you, Mero."

Mero smiles and replies: "Well, you know, I just felt like it would be good for you. It was nothing, honestly."

"Perhaps not." Suu murmurs, and her voice rings clearly as she leans back to address all three of them, her eyes shimmering and her smile angelic. "But you nevertheless went out of your way to make me happy, to help me have more fun with my friends. Such a gift speaks volumes of your consideration for others, of a great capacity for kindness. You gave this to me because you love me, just like you love all of us, and it's the love we have for each other that truly makes our world a wonderful one. Thank you."

And with that said, she leans forward and firmly kisses the mermaid on the cheek before she hops off the couch, picks up her new clothes and dances off, eager to tell Papi that they could play in the pool together. As Mero blushes brightly at the kiss, a hand coming up to touch where the slime had kissed her, the other two just stare blankly with expressions of utmost surprise and awe at what they had just heard.

"She just talked properly." Cerea muttered, eyes wide and mouth slack.

"She's… she's certainly more than meets the eye." Miia muttered, wondering just how deep the mysteries of Suu went. "But, um, but I'm glad she liked the suit."

Her cheeks glow bright red, her hand moving over her heart now as she fully absorbs Suu's speech, before Mero giggles slightly and coos: "Well, she's right. Making each other happy is what makes our lives so much more fulfilling. I'm glad I was able to please her so."

The lamia chuckles then, throwing a cheeky smirk at the mermaid: "Yeah, you do your best for us, Mero. For a tragedy lover, you sure know how to make people happy."

The mermaid replied: "My views of tragedy lie purely in the romantic spectrum. It has no place in my friendships, and thus I only wish the best for all of you."

"Still, there's nothing wrong for wishing for the best for yourself." Cerea points out. "You deserve to be happy as much as we do."

"Absolutely!" Miia agrees enthusiastically. "Even if none of you may have my Darling, all of you may have happiness one way or another!"

Mero simply smiles, feeling quite warm inside at their comments: "I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful for all of you. Now, Miia, shall I continue in decimating your fleet?"

"Just try me, mermaid. You ain't got nothing on my ships!"

The next turn saw her last one sank.


End file.
